The Washington critic., 1887-05-02
TOPICS OF THE DAY.


Says Fax" in Washington letter
TO the Harrisonburg Spirit of tic
Valley: Professor Maurice Thompson,
chief of the natural history depart.
ment of Indiana. says he led an old
hoosier farmer to think him Crank"
by telling him the reason bis clover
seed crop had failed. You don't
allow the humble bees to be killed on
your farm, do you p asked. Eyes,
sir, do" he cried; II make my boys
burn up every plagued nest of them"
$50 suppose" replied, land that
Is why your clover seed fails you.
Bumhle bees make your clover seed"
you're II crank ~ he exclaimed, and
looked at me as IL he thought was a
fit subject for the lunatic asylum. And
yet 1t is fact that a strong nest of
humble bees In big clover field is
worth twenty dollars to The owner; for
these insects are the chief agents In
fertilizing the blossoms, thereby insur.
Ing heavy crop of seed. In Aus.
tralia there are no humble bees Of our
kind, and they could not raise clover
seed there until they imported some
humble bees.
w.
Washington society sees but little Of
Mrs. Chase, says New York Nal and
Erpress letter. She is some distance
out of town, although from her library
windows the dome of the Capitol can
be seen looming up mile away, She
has the saving adaptability of all peo-
pie of sense. She is interested In her
gardening and In her daughters educa.
tion. She rides and drives and fills up
life that would seem singularly
empty. She makes no apology or
explanation for her altered style Of
living. Probably she inherits her
fathers incapacity for moneyed affairs.
Whatever might have been said Of her,
the invincibe courage she has shown in
misfortune commands respect. The old
house Is full of relics Of splendor. Some
of the finest carved mahogany In this
country is in the big, gloomy dining
room. A mirror over the fireplace has
frame that would put everything at
Sypher's to shame, and sideboard,
buffet and great carved sofa, brought
from Italy, are fit for palace. In the
hall is an ancient carved marriage
chest that is bewitching to a lover Of
antiquities. Everywhere shabblness
and splendor go hand In hand, but the
shabbines is not vulgar, nor Is the
splepdor obtrusive. 1t would be brave
TO ra'hness for one to pity Mrs. Chase
for her surroundings. or for anything
else about her. She makes certain
fitness and seemliness for herself out of
il all
a~#
Young James G. Blaine resembles
his brother, Walker, and has the family
resemblance TO his father.which all the
Blaine boys bear. He is living now,
says the Tribune, at the New York
Hotel with his wife, and is engaged
with firm of stock brokers'. lie is q
STRIPPING in appearance. His acquaint.
ances say that he is developing level
head for business and strong common
sense. He said recently that his brief
experience In journalism was never In
tended by him to be the beginning of
life career. 81 had to earn my bread"
said he, "and tried newspaper work as
temporary eXpedient. When ! left
Pittsburg to come to New York had q
chaotic idea that would try to secure
work on my merit. The sons of men
whose names are great have burden to
10 bear that the world does not wholly
appreciate. They are judged by their
fathers rather than taken for them.
selves. l brought letters from my
former employers In Pittsburg. and In
asking employment here did not men.
tion my name at all. didn't get the
work for which applied But after
all am satisfied, for have gone into
business that suits me better"
~
Only few days since, says A. III. s.
D., the Washington correspondent of
the Minneapolis Tribune, conversed
with clerk who has seen almost con.
tinuous service in department here Of
over 80 years, having taken thousand
dollar position only short time before
Fillmore took the oath of office, July
10, 1850. When he sat down to his
desk 1t was with mind thoroughly
made up to occupy 1t only two or
three years, after which he would
launch into some permanent business.
But the fascinatious attached to the In.
dolent life of clerk were so great that
he yielded to his natural inclina,ions to
indulge them, and year by year he has
felt less disposed to risk his chances
with those who make themselves, un.
til to day he finds himself in the tide
completely at the mercy of political
wind and weather, fitted for nothing
but the bulfeting storms raised by those
In power. Alphabetically, he says, he
knows how to master the situation so
far as his official duties are concerned,
but is completely helpless in other re.
specls.
Says the New YWk Sun: Mayor
Hewitt was asked the other day how
he earned his first money. He said tina,
he got it by reading 10 rich man
some three or four hours day for O
year. He did not get the appointm nj
by Influence, hut by competitive eN
animation. The man came TO tho
school and heard the boys read, and
made his selection of Hewitt rs the
best reader, He was then but sixteen
years of age. For his years reading
he received the munificent compCnsa
tion of S15. Ten dollars of this sum
was used to buy his students gown,
and the other five was kept by his
mother for incidental expenses, Dur,
ing his college years Mr.. Hewitt rked
about seventeen hours day, engaged
In teaching or coaching other students
At the close of his collegiate career he
had saved Gb u $1,000. With this he
n, went on European tour, and on hi: